劍問蒼天 - 第158章 掙扎 - 翰墨軒

By now the rain had grown rather heavy, but He Yin City was so crowded with refugees that most, their hearts consumed by dread of the beast-demons soon to come, paid the downpour no mind. In truth, these past days the city had seen no shortage of common folk driven out of their wits by the mounting tension. Fortunately, the disciples of the Canglan Sect had been keeping order throughout the city, and most incidents were dealt with swiftly. Even so, the pervasive panic had plunged the whole city into an atmosphere perpetually teetering on the brink of madness.

Xiaowan and the other two all froze for a moment. Then Xiaowan was overjoyed, and could not help crying softly, "It's you..."

Zhou Yixuan and the Wild Wolf Daoist, however, both frowned at the same instant. Zhou Yixuan gave a snort—and astonishingly said the very same words: "It's you..."

Ming Li paid Zhou Yixuan and the Daoist no heed. He first glanced at Xiaowan, and seeing the unmistakable, genuine delight on her young face, a trace of warmth crept into his own eyes. He gave a slight nod. "It's me."

Just then, the little monkey, Xiao Hui, perched on Ming Li's shoulder with its fur soaked through by the rain, chattered twice at Xiaowan and grinned, seeming equally glad to see her.

Xiaowan beamed. "So you still remember me, huh?" she said to Xiao Hui with a chuckle. Then she lifted her eyes to Ming Li, hesitated a moment, and asked, "Last night—were you... were you all right?"

Ming Li nodded. "I'm fine."

Only then did Xiaowan set her mind at ease. She gazed at Ming Li a couple more times, and then, for no discernible reason, her face suddenly flushed. Her eyes darted to Xiao Hui, and smiling, she spread her hands. "Come, come here and let me hold you."

Xiao Hui gave two silly little chitters, then suddenly kicked off with both feet, sprang from Ming Li's shoulder, and leaped straight into Xiaowan's arms. Xiaowan giggled, feeling how damp the monkey's body was, and was about to fish out a cloth to wipe it down—but the monkey, apparently uncomfortable itself, suddenly shook its whole body, sending water droplets flying in every direction. Xiaowan gave a startled cry, yet was unwilling to drop the monkey, so she hastily squeezed her eyes shut. A moment later her face, her clothes, and her collar were all speckled with water from the creature.

Xiaowan opened her eyes and glared at Xiao Hui. The monkey's three eyes blinked and blinked, utterly motionless. Xiaowan gave a huff, tossed with both hands, and flung Xiao Hui back onto Ming Li. Xiao Hui scrambled up onto Ming Li's shoulder in a few quick movements, watched Xiaowan hurriedly straightening her clothes, and could not help chittering with laughter again.

Xiaowan was caught between laughter and tears. Biting her lower lip, she stole a glance at Ming Li, then lowered her head to tidy her garments. Ming Li turned and looked at Zhou Yixuan. Zhou Yixuan felt a pang of guilt and said, "Hey, you brat—I saved your life back then, you can't go doing anything rash."

Ming Li pondered a moment and glanced around. The common folk nearby were all absorbed in their own affairs, no one paying them any mind. So he asked Zhou Yixuan, "Just who exactly are you?"

Zhou Yixuan lifted his chin. "I, old sir, am a man of exalted stature."

Beside him, Xiaowan and the Wild Wolf Daoist both twitched. Clearly the answer struck them as profoundly bizarre. Ming Li, however, plainly ignored this "man of exalted stature" and asked calmly and directly, "That earth-escape art of yours last night—it's been lost for a very long time. But legend has it that such a technique was the very skill wielded by Canglan Zi, founder of the Canglan Sect, when he roamed the jianghu in his day. How is it that you possess it?"

He looked deeply at Zhou Yixuan. "What connection do you have to the Canglan Sect?"